This invention relates to structures and frameworks, and has particular reference to the construction of display systems for use in the merchandising field, that is, structures and frameworks that serve as artistic and decorative supports and backgrounds for merchandise that is on sale in establishments of various kinds, for example, department stores and the like.
In the past, systems of a number of kinds have been available to the merchandiser, to provide shelves, racks, hangers, brackets, hangrails and other facilities upon which merchandise can be displayed. While permanent installations have been used for these purposes, the changing needs of merchandisers have made it desirable to be able to change and rearrange displays with relative ease and economy.
This need for flexibility and versatility has been satisfied to some extent by display systems using wall strips or frames that have rows of slots for receiving mounting brackets formed with one or more, usually two, hook-like tabs. Such tabs interfit with, and lock into, the slots, and are readily movable from one location along a strip or frame to another when a change in position is desired. Thus, a shelf, for example, can be raised or lowered, or a shelf of a different size can be substituted, or any number of different display accessories, provided with mounting brackets, can be installed.
The principal disadvantage of such systems has been their generally unattractive (even unsightly) appearance, which has made them unacceptable to establishements in which attractiveness of design and decor is important. One partial solution of this aspect of the problem has been the use of special slotted strips recessed into panel walls, in the joints between adjacent panels, to provide inconspicuous grooves in the joints for receiving mounting brackets. Such joints fall for short, however, of providing for all of the display needs that can arise.